Frozen: After the snow
by IAmFalseReality
Summary: Not long after the events of the frozen summer the leaders of the neighbouring kingdoms are furious at Queen Elsa for inadvertently destroying their crops, killing their livestock and making things generally unpleasant. They want recompense for her actions, but unable to provide much more than an apology, drastic measures are taken. The people want blood and war.


**Frozen**

**Princess Anna: Wrath of an Ice Queen**

Princess Anna stood atop the wall of ice and surveyed the snow field below. The battle, though slaughter might be a more accurate word, had been a bloody one; though not for her sister's army. Frozen spikes jutted from the ground at incredible angels, impaling soldiers left and right, their tips painted with the blood of the dead. The few survivors that had been able to reach Queen Elsa's wall had been treated to a platoon of hideous snow abominations, the very same Princess Anna and her companions had encountered when all this trouble began. She shuddered and wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, avoiding eye contact with a Marshmallow thirty feet below, its tree trunk like fists dragging a limp soldier by the head and leaving a crimson trail in the snow.

"Oh, Elsa…" Anna said, her words coming away in clouds on the cold air. She turned her back on the ghastly scene and made her way down the makeshift stairs that had been hurriedly chiselled into the wall when the original flight had fallen away. A light snow started to fall by the time Anna's boots finally reached the dirt; natural snow for once, not Her Majesty's work. This winter was going to be tough for both sides of the conflict, the frozen summer had destroyed much of the harvest and killed many an animal before they were fit for butchering. There had been public uproar and many of the neighbouring countries had banded together to demand recompense from Arendelle and its Queen, most noticeably from Weselton for the 'rash, humiliating and unjust' treatment of their Duke and his two guardsmen. Queen Elsa had responded, but with little to give in the way of food, livestock, material goods or gold, their once peaceful neighbours had become enemies overnight.

Anna wriggled her fingers around in her mittens, trying to keep them from going numb. She hadn't expected it to get so cold so soon. This time last year autumn was still busily picking the leaves off the trees, but now the gnarled branches clawed at the dark grey clouds above. Anna pulled her cloak around her again, tighter this time, and approached two soldiers wearing the grey-green of the Arendelle guard. They stood to attention as she passed, "Princess!" one said, trying to hide his shivering. She nodded back, though said no words, pushing aside the flap of Queen Elsa's tent. It was no warmer inside, a small fire pit _had_ been erected in the centre though it was rarely used, only candles lit the room, dotted around sparsely. Anna breathed a sigh of relief to be out of the wind, however. "Cold, cold, cold, cold!" She chittered, rubbing her arms furiously,

"Light the fire," Queen Elsa said from her desk, not looking up from a map of the area, "it makes no difference to me,"

"Well, hello to you too," Anna smirked, moving to a pile of logs stacked up neatly and untouched at the side of the room.

Elsa sighed, rubbed her eyelids and looked up, "Sorry, I have had my hands full,"

"No, no. It's ok, I understand,"

Elsa smirked, the corner of her lip twitching ever so slightly, "I doubt that." She raised her arms and indulged in a long stretch, groaning. Finally, she placed her hands on the desk and pushed herself out of the chair. "How are you?" the Queen asked, crouching next to her sister to help make the fire. She'd changed. Her hair still hung in a braid, but she had put away her elegant dresses in place for a grey-green great coat with two rows of buttons along the front and a belt about her waist, similar to the uniform of the guards outside, with boots; big and black. She had refused the gloves though. Anna smiled.

"Well, apart from cold and miserable, I'm pretty much fine,"

"A few more weeks and we can go home, I promise,"

"I don't get why I'm here in the first place, I don't do anything, and I kind of just get in the way,"

"I've told you already," Elsa said, a cold edge to her words, "I have few allies right now and I feel a lot safer with you here where I can protect you, I don't know if I can trust everyone back in Arendelle,"

"And it's not like I don't appreciate that, it's just-"

"Please Anna, just a few more weeks, I swear."

"I…" Anna paused, what could she say? She loved her sister more than anything, and what was a few more weeks of waiting? "A few more weeks it is then!" She managed. The fire crackled into life and a wave of warmth embraced Anna in an instant. She breathed it in. Elsa smiled, "So, how is Kristoff? I have not seen him recently, usually you two are inseparable,"

"Oh, he's fine. He's been scouting up along the mountainside, he brings me things back sometimes, he's sweet like that" Anna smiled and thumbed a smoothed pebble in her pocket that Kristoff had brought from one of his outings. It was a simple enough gift, he had etched patterns into the stone that danced and played around each other in the light from the fire. The memory was warm. "I am glad you found someone trustworthy at last," Elsa said, getting up and walking to a table that offered wine and a small bowl of fruits. Anna frowned, trying to forget the entire Hans incident. She had no reply, so instead just nodded in response. She was about to rise herself when a guard ran in followed by a flurry of fresh snow, Anna braced herself against the cold. "Pardon Your Majesty, Princess!" He said, out of breath, "There's a man at the wall, he begs for an audience with you!"

"Ours or theirs?"

"Theirs, says you've met before, name's Flynn… Rider, something like that."

Elsa squinted at the ground, then rested a hand on her hip, clearly trying to recall the face that went with the name. "Flynn Rider…" she muttered, "I do not remember anyone by that name, what does he want?"

"He said it was urgent, Your Majesty, and nothing else,"

Elsa harrumphed, "Very well, I will see him, but I want everyone to be wary of trickery. Once we let this Ryder in I want him searched, confiscate anything that could be deemed dangerous or any information that he may be carrying. Understood?"

"As you say, Your Majesty!" and with a salute and click of the boot the guard left the tent, letting another wave of cold wash over Anna. The fire puttered in the pit.

"Is there anything I can do?" Anna asked,

"Return to your tent, I don't want you to be there if this is a trap,"

"Aw, come on! I can handle myself," Anna said, jumping up and readying in a fighters stance. Elsa looked over her shoulder and stared at the pink mittens and woolly scarf around Anna's neck, letting out a chuckle "I don't doubt that, but I would prefer it if you weren't in danger,"

"You know I'm not going back to my tent!"

"I know," Elsa said and lifted the flap.


End file.
